Home»World»Prominent Mexican Prosecutor Arraigned On Drug Charges In US

Prominent Mexican Prosecutor Arraigned On Drug Charges In US

One prominent Mexican official learned the hard way that he isn’t above the law in the U.S., having allegedly operated outside it for quite some time.

Edgar Veytia, 46, attorney general of the state of Nayarit, has been arrested in San Diego, Calif., and charged with conspiracy to manufacture cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine and distribute them in the U.S. between January 2013 and February 2017.

Veytia has reportedly used multiple aliases including “Diablo,” “Lic Veytia” and “Eepp.”

The indictment, which was filed in New York earlier in March, states that a minimum of 1,000 kilos of marijuana, five kilos of cocaine, one kilo of heroin and 500 grams of methamphetamine were involved in Veytia’s alleged activities.

A kilo is approximately 2.2 pounds.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman said the arrest occurred Monday at the Cross Border Xpress bridge, which connects the Tijuana airport with the U.S.

While there are few additional details of the arrest available, federal officials have confirmed that agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Homeland Security and FBI were involved in the investigation.

Following his arrest, Veyita was placed in a federal facility in San Diego awaiting an April 11 hearing to determine whether he will be extradited to New York.

A law enforcement source told NBC News that Veytia had been under investigation for some time.

He added that they had “snagged him as soon as they could.”

Defense attorney Guadalupe Valencia said it was “a brand-new case. No one has any info other than the indictment.”

Mexican media have reported allegations of ties between Veytia and a drug cartel. A rival cartel allegedly attempted to assassinate him in 2011, approximately two years before he became attorney general.

The arrest comes at a time when multiple state officials in Mexico are under investigation for corruption, with two recent governors now being fugitives.